This archive report was first published on 20 November 2019.
Nadal Sparks Spanish Comeback, Canada into Last Eight ¶
On a dramatic Tuesday night in Madrid's La Caja Magica, Rafael Nadal sparked a Spanish comeback in the Davis Cup Finals, while Canada secured a spot in the last eight.
With a sell-out crowd cheering him on, Nadal defeated Russia's Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6(7) in a thrilling match that lasted until shortly before 2 a.m.
Earlier in the day, Russia had beaten defending champions Croatia 3-0, leaving Spain with no margin for error against Khachanov. But Nadal, who had won his last 24 Davis Cup singles rubbers since losing on his debut in 2004, was not about to stop now.
Khachanov stretched Nadal to breaking point at times, especially in the second set, but the 19-times Grand Slam champion fought off a set point before claiming victory.
After the match, Nadal expressed his concerns about the new format of the Davis Cup, which consists of three rubbers rather than the traditional five. He said, “The format makes things very difficult because every mistake puts you in a position that you don’t want to be.”
Spain can reach the quarter-finals on Wednesday by beating Croatia, who axed captain Zeljko Krajan two days before their opening tie and will be without injured talisman Marin Cilic.
Meanwhile, Canada's tennis resurgence continued as they became the first nation through to the last eight after beating the United States for the first time in 16 attempts. Vasek Pospisil, ranked 150th in the world, edged youngster Reilly Opelka 7-6(5) 7-6(7) before Denis Shapovalov beat Taylor Fritz.
“Right now, Canada is really in the best place it’s been in tennis history,” Pospisil said.
